Vending machine



Sept. 22, 1925. 1,554,552

C. A. BICKFORD VENDING MACHINE Filed Jan. 20, 1925 Patented Sept. 22, 1925.

UNITED STATES cnaanns a. onro-n1);

Application filed Januar To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES A. Biol;- roan, residing at Twin Falls, Idaho, a citizen of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vending Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object the provi sion of a device or apparatus to be installed or used in stores to facilitate the sale of merchandise both by the avoidance of necessity of handing money to clerks and by introducingthe element of entertainment in making sales. My invention consists in whatever is described by or is included within the terms or scope of the appended claims.-

In the accompanying drawings:

7 Figure 1 is a face view of apparatus embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view from the back with the back of the casing removed;

Fig. 3 is a detail view in perspective of the indicator rotating mechanism.

Briefly described my invention cmprehends an apparatus having a circular dial and a rotating pointer or indextor cooperating with the dial to designate by suitable markings on the dial articles ofmerchandise which are to be delivered to the customer when the index or pointer designates the same, the customer first having deposited in the casing of the apparatus the price of the articles of merchandise and until such price has been so deposited the pointer cannot be actuated. Thus all thearticles ot' merchandisc to be sold by the apparatus will have the same price say or 10 and the element of entertainment will bealiorded by uncertainty as to which article'of merchandise at the price named the customer will be entitled to, but, of course, always the customer-will get value received "for his money.

The casing, 10, shown in the drawings is a shallow box, but, of course, the casing may be given any desired form and may be ornamented in any desired way. In the front side of the casing (which may be covered by glass or other transparent material) is exposed through a circular hole, 11, a dial, 12, which at its rim or margin has equi-distant numbers, say one to twenty and arranged in sequence or order or not just as may be desired and upon-a chart or table to be used with the apparatus (but not shown in the drawings) is a list of articles of. merchandise correspondi g y nuiyb reflsq that wh n the PATIENT OFFICE.

or T IN, FALLS, IDAHO;

a0,.1s25.;seria i o. 3,618.

pointer or index, 18, designates or points to' a particular number on the dial it will be i points andtriangular shapejfigures between 1 each diamond shapefigure'ahd'the pair of points between which it is situated and the star and the diamond and triangular shape figures may be variously colored. Around the rim of the dial is a circular series of qcorrugations or teeth, 1 l, engaged by a light spring finger, 15, projecting from the tip of the index or pointer so as to assure the stoppage of the index over a numbered space of the dial and not at an intermediate point and thereby making it certain that the pointer will always designate some article of merchandise.

The index or pointer "is mounted on a shaft, 16, which extends into the casing, and within the latter has fixed to ita disk or wheel, 17. Pivoted atone end within the casing is a lever, 18, thatfromits pivot, 19, extends across the disk and projectsfa short distance through a slot. in the side wallsof the casing, the projecting portion being for the purpose of beinggrasped by: the handt o swing the lever upon its pivot to effect. the rotation of the disk and the index or pointer bythe, meanspresently described.) A coil spring,20, attached at one end to the lever within thefcasingandjfixed at its other end to a stationarypoint in the easingreturiis thelever tofthezposition from which it :is movable by hand, when the lever is released. Onthe side of the lever next the disk is at tached an elastically flexible disk engaging and rotating device which consists of a pair of spring'wires, 21, attached at their ends furthest from the disk to the lever and being free at their other ends which are nearest the disk, the free ends of the wires being bent or flexed when the lever moved by hand, by engagement with a plate, 22, ad jacent the disk and in their path as the lever is swung by hand so that during such movement the free ends of the fingers while being flexed will be kept out of contact with the disk and upon passing beyond sald P ts wil w p a sp ing ta s th s e! .face and which will not cause noise when the spring fingers whip into contact therewith. Said finger flexing plate has a lip or flange, 24, which inclines upward from the point where the. spring fingers pass out of engagement with the plate after being flexed so that upon the returnmovement of the lever by the action of the coil spring the free ends of the fingers will encounter the inclined outer side of said lip and on such return movement be thereby kept from engaging the wheel or disk and causing reverse rotation thereof. The spring fingers are flexed or bent by their contact with said lip so that when they pass out of engagement with the same at the highest point they will spring back to their normal straight positionin readiness to pass under said lip on the next ensuing hand operation of the lever, and insuch movement they are flexed or bent downward by the lip so that when they pass beyond the lowest point thereof they will swing to theirnormalstraight position and thus engage only the upper side of such lip on the return movement. Between the extremities of the spring fingers they pass through holes oryslots inseparated lugs, 25, which formfulcra upon which they bend or flex as has been explained.

As has been explained before in order that the lever may be operated by hand to effect themovement of the index or pointer the price of the article must be deposited within the casing. To. in'sure'this a coin operated locklis provided .for the lever which .may be released to free the lever only. when the proper coin isinserted through the slot, 26, in the side wall of the oasingadjacent the exposed portion of the lever.v Any coin -o p cr'ated lockmay be used for the purpose.

, I contemplate employing .in connection with the apparatus a .register. which will registerevery coin that is pl'aced in the machine. I also contemplate providing'somc entertainment giving device which will be released or set in motion when the coin is inserted, as for example some radio apparatus but I do not consider it necessary to illustrate these things in the drawings.

What I claim is:

1. The combination of an indicating mechanism comprising a rotating pointer and means for rotating the pointer comprising a disk, a to and fro movable disk striking finger capable of being flexed or bent from a normal line and means for flexing and then freeing the free end. of said finger when moved in one direction.

2. The combination of an indicating mechanism comprising a rotating pointer and means for rotating the pointer comprising a disk, a to and fro movable disk striking finger capable of being flexed or bent from a normal line and means for flexing and then freeing the free end of said finger when moved in one direction, the finger contacting portion of the disk being of cushioning material.

3. The combination of an indicating mechanism comprising a rotating pointer and means for rotating the pointer compris ing a disk, a to and fro movable disk striking finger capable of being flexed or bent from a normal line and means for flexing and then freeing the free end of said finger when moved in one direction, said finger being of wire.

4. The combination of an indicating mechanism comprising a rotating pointer a disk connected with the pointer, an operating lever movable in one direction by hand, an elastic finger attached to the lever with a free end adjacent the disk and a surface adjacent the disk in the path of said free end when the lever is moved by hand to flex such free end and out of contact with which said free end passes after a predetermined extent of movement of the lever such free end at such time striking the disk,

in a direction to impart rotation thereto.

In testimonywhereof I hereunto affix my signature.

CHARLES, A. BICKFORD. 

